Thriston Lawrence

Thriston Lawrence
Personal information
Born (1996-12-03) 3 December 1996 (age 28)
Nelspruit, South Africa
Sporting nationality South Africa
ResidenceNelspruit, South Africa
Career
Turned professional2014
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Sunshine Tour
Former tour(s)Challenge Tour
MENA Tour
Big Easy Tour
Professional wins9
Highest ranking46 (29 September 2024)[1]
(as of 24 November 2024)
Number of wins by tour
European Tour4
Sunshine Tour4
Other3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT62: 2023
U.S. OpenCUT: 2023
The Open Championship4th: 2024
Achievements and awards
MENA Golf Tour
Order of Merit winner		2015
Sir Henry Cotton
Rookie of the Year		2022

Thriston Lawrence (born 3 December 1996) is a South African professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He has won four times on the European Tour.

Professional career

Lawrence turned professional in 2014. He played on the MENA Tour in 2015 and the Challenge Tour in 2016. He won the MENA Tour Order of Merit in 2015.[2] He played on the Big Easy Tour in 2018, gaining his card for the 2019–20 Sunshine Tour season. He won his first Sunshine Tour event in 2019 at the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Stellenbosch.[3]

Lawrence claimed the biggest victory of his career (at that time) at the 2021 Joburg Open. It was a co-sanctioned European Tour and Sunshine Tour event. The event was shortened to 36 holes due to inclement weather. Lawrence shot two rounds of 65 to win by four shots over Zander Lombard.[4] In August 2022, Lawrence won the Omega European Masters, beating Matt Wallace in a playoff.[5][6] He was named Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for the 2022 European Tour season.[7] In December 2022, Lawrence won the Investec South African Open Championship, one shot ahead of Clément Sordet and climbing to a career best 64th in the Official World Golf Ranking.[8]

In June 2023, Lawrence claimed his fourth win on the European Tour at the BMW International Open in Germany. Starting the final round four shots back, he recorded a 69 to win by one shot ahead of Joost Luiten.[9]

At the 2024 Open Championship in July, Lawrence finished solo-fourth, three shots behind winner Xander Schauffele to record his best finish in a major championship.[10] With five other runner-up finishes during the 2024 European Tour season, Lawrence finished third on the Race to Dubai, claiming a PGA Tour card for the 2025 season.[11]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (9)

European Tour wins (4)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 27 Nov 2021
(2022 season) 		Joburg Open1 −12 (65-65=130)* 4 strokes South Africa Zander Lombard
2 28 Aug 2022 Omega European Masters −18 (62-64-67-69=262) Playoff England Matt Wallace
3 4 Dec 2022
(2023 season) 		Investec South African Open Championship1 −16 (64-67-67-74=272) 1 stroke France Clément Sordet
4 25 Jun 2023 BMW International Open −13 (71-69-66-69=275) 1 stroke Netherlands Joost Luiten

*Note: The 2021 Joburg Open was shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour

European Tour playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2022 Omega European Masters England Matt Wallace Won with par on first extra hole
2 2024 BMW PGA Championship United States Billy Horschel, Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy Horschel won with eagle on second extra hole
Lawrence eliminated by birdie on first hole

Sunshine Tour wins (4)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 5 Oct 2019 Vodacom Origins of Golf at Stellenbosch −15 (68-68-65=201) 1 stroke South Africa Deon Germishuys, South Africa Riekus Nortje,
South Africa J. J. Senekal, South Africa Jean-Paul Strydom
2 27 Nov 2021 Joburg Open1 −12 (65-65=130)* 4 strokes South Africa Zander Lombard
3 4 Dec 2022 Investec South African Open Championship1 −16 (64-67-67-74=272) 1 stroke France Clément Sordet
4 23 Aug 2024 SunBet Challenge (Time Square Casino) −20 (62-67-67=196) 5 strokes South Africa Dylan Naidoo

*Note: The 2021 Joburg Open was shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

MENA Golf Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 4 Nov 2015 Ras Al Khaimah Classic −12 (69-66-69=204) 4 strokes Spain Gabriel Cañizares, Northern Ireland Darren Clarke,
South Africa Michael Downes, Republic of Ireland Tyler Hogarty

Big Easy Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 28 Nov 2018 Big Easy Challenge 15 −15 (65-69-67=201) 5 strokes South Africa Albert Venter

IGT Pro Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 1 Mar 2017 Centurion Race to Q-School #18 −16 (65-70-65=200) 3 strokes South Africa Coert Groenewald

Results in major championships

Tournament 2022 2023 2024
Masters Tournament
PGA Championship T62 CUT
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship T42 T74 4
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

See also

References

  1. ^ "Week 39 2024 Ending 29 Sep 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Young South African prodigy Thriston Lawrence walks away with 2015 Mena Golf Tour Order of Merit title". UAE Golf Online. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Thriston Lawrence from Mbombela shines in Stellenbosch". Low Velder. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Lawrence wins maiden title at shortened Joburg Open". European Tour. 27 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Thriston Lawrence crowned King of the Mountains in Switzerland". European Tour. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  6. ^ Livie, Alex (28 August 2022). "'To achieve it is quite emotional' - Thriston Lawrence beats Matt Wallace in play-off to win European Masters". Eurosport. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  7. ^ Kilvington, Ross (24 November 2022). "Thriston Lawrence Named DP World Tour Rookie Of The Year". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 25 November 2022 – via MSN.
  8. ^ "DP World Tour news: Thriston Lawrence avoids disaster to win South African Open". PlanetSport. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  9. ^ "DP World Tour: Thriston Lawrence seals one-shot victory at BMW International Open". Sky Sports. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  10. ^ Hall, Mike (21 July 2024). "'I Just Looked At It As A Normal Sunday Of A Normal Golf Tournament' - Thriston Lawrence Explains 'Calm' Mindset To Finish Fourth At The Open". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  11. ^ Jourdan, Cameron (17 November 2024). "These 10 DP World Tour golfers earned PGA Tour cards for the 2025 season". Golfweek. Retrieved 17 November 2024.